Traditional exercise benches are large and cumbersome. They are limited in function and are not feasible for home use unless a person has enough space. They also have limited capability for strength and conditioning coaches and athletes because they are not versatile. They are designed to function as an upper body exercise apparatus. None of them adjust vertically and are cable of performing a multitude of lower body exercises correctly. Exercise benches are not built to fully meet the needs of athletes (professional and amateur), fitness devotees, professional trainers, and anyone truly interested in optimum true-form exercise performance. They are made for an average sized person and do not take into consideration the many different sizes and performance requirements of people utilizing them. Exercise benches are widely used in home gyms, health clubs, training centers, and university weight rooms. Often there is a tremendous wait to use one because of the time it takes for the users to try to adjust the benches to fit their body size and type of exercise they are performing.
Athletes and fitness devotees train differently than the average person. These advanced users depend upon perfect form, proper sizing (height ratio to body size, strength, and range of motion), isolated muscle movement, safe equipment, and immediate flexibility. This means they need unique and different training resources than currently available. The health and fitness industry does not always address these consumer's needs or think how a strength and conditioning coach thinks. Strength coaches create programs with the limited-function equipment that have already been provided to them. They make adjustments according to their less than optimum resources. There are innovative ideas in the field of strength and conditioning, but more thoughtful exercise equipment for athletes and fitness devotees would provide a much needed resource for optimum exercise and training.
There are currently no compact functional exercise benches evident on the market that can be utilized for strength and conditioning coaches, gym training, and home fitness. Furthermore, all current exercise benches are relatively heavy and do not adjust vertically in height and length.
Since the typical exercise bench has no height adjustments, exercise variations are limited. A tall person's relationship to an exercise bench is different from a shorter person's relationship. Therefore, many exercises are not optimal for either person. In order to alleviate this problem, a person must either choose a different apparatus, abandon the particular exercise altogether, or perform it incorrectly (which has many negative effects). For example the proper form when performing a “box-squat to parallel” on an exercise bench is determined by the height of an individual. “Parallel location” for a person who is 6′ feet tall is different than for a person who is 5′6″ tall. The exercise will never be performed correctly if the height of the bench cannot be adjusted.
The typical exercise bench is limited to mostly upper body exercises because they have a standard height with no vertical adjustments. There are many types of exercises such as, squats, step-ups and explosive lower body movements that cannot be performed on a typical exercise bench effectively because of its limitations. As mentioned above these exercises are limited in their effectiveness and functionality due to the various heights of the people performing them.
Many people would like to work out in the comforts of their home but do not have the space for an exercise bench. Also, people who are just starting a workout program might be intimidated going to a gym and would rather start at home to build up their self confidence. The problem with purchasing an exercise bench to use at home is, once you are dorie working out, where are you going to put it if you do not have an exercise room? Exercise benches are not made for apartments or small homes. They are purchased for home use by people who have garages, basements or a workout room with plenty for space for use and/or storage.